Systems Analysis of Zaragoza Urban Water - SWITCH - Managing ...

Systems Analysis of Zaragoza UWS
Guillermo Penagos
Hydropower
Generation
Agriculture
Climate
change
Upstream
abstraction
Upstream
pollution
Insufficient raw
water quantity
and quality
Population
growth
People's
consumption
petterns
Aging
infrastructure
Increased
industrialization
Limitations
of existing
technology
Drinking Water
Treatment
Inefficiency
Inefficient water use
and water losses
Insufficient pollution
removal from
sewage
Eficiency
Urban Water
System
Focus problem
Excesive
resource
consumption
High pollution
loads to the
environment
Figure 18. An exercise of problem tree analysis for Zaragoza. The core problem would be to
improve the effectiveness and the efficiency of the UWS.
The drivers identified in figure 18 are classified in figure 19 by a matrix of uncertainty
vs importance. The criteria for such classification are described next.
Increasing importance
More important – less uncertain
• Urbanization
• Availability of funds
• Dependence on fossil fuels
• Existing infrastructure
Less important – less uncertain
• DWT and WWT technologies
Increasing uncertainty
More important – more uncertain
• Climate change
• Water abstraction use
• Population increase
Less important – more uncertain
• Storm water
Figure 19. Matrix of uncertainty vs importance to classify drivers of Zaragoza UWS
sustainability
4.4.1 Criteria for classification of drivers
4.4.1.1 Less important – less uncertain
• Introduction of new DWT and/or WWT technologies is not planned for
Zaragoza during the next decade since current infrastructure is being
upgraded and costs will still be paid in the coming years.
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